Luke 5:17 26 In this account of the healing of the paralytic there are an interesting combination of events occurring. Jesus is teaching in a house which seems to be basically filled with Pharisees and teachers of the law, not His most friendly audience. Luke tells us that the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick; but the Pharisees and teachers of the law were not being healed. Could it be that the power of the Lord is present far more often than we realize, and we are just too dull and critical to be aware of it? There were several men and a paralytic that knew that Jesus was there with power to heal and they were determined to do whatever it took to get the man to Jesus for healing. The house was just too crowded to carry the man on his mat to Jesus, so they somehow got him onto the roof of the house, removed the tiling over Jesus head, and lowered the man into the room below. Was it the hard work and ingenuity that earned the healing? No, it was because they believed that Jesus had the answer that they needed, and they believed it strongly enough that they would do whatever was necessary to get to Him. Even in front of the critical audience that was there. As the man on the mat lay in front of Jesus, all those critical eyes were glued on Jesus C What would He do? The first words that came from Jesus' mouth were not, "Be healed." they were, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." I'm sure that Jesus didn't need any of His Godly abilities to know what His critics were thinking. "Only God can forgive sins." In order for you to know that the Son of Man has this authority; Jesus said to the man, "get up, take your mat and go home." The man, got up, rolled up his mat, and left, praising God. Jesus has not changed; the power of God is still present to heal and forgive sins.

Persistent Faith